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Chinese History - Shang Dynasty 商 (17th to 11th cent. BC)
kings, rulers

Jiandi 簡狄, the mother of the Shang's first ancestor Xie 契 (daughter of a noble called You Song 娀 and second wife of Emperor Di Ku 帝嚳), is said to have conceived when she ate a black egg that had dropped from the sky. Xie is also thought to have been a descendant of the Yellow Emperor (Huang Di, Huangdi 黃帝). The black bird seemed to have been a kind of heraldic symbol or totem animal of the Shang people.
The Shang adressed their ancestors with numbers of the Celestial Stems (tiangan 天干; jia 甲 "1", yi 乙 "2", bing 丙 "3", ding 丁 "4", etc.), probably expressing kinship relation (certain royal lines expressed by certain numbers), but in the late Anyang period also bestowed to them a honorative name like Wen 文 "the Cultured", Wu 武 "the Martial". The posthumous title of the Shang rulers is Di 帝 "godlike ancestor". In oracle bone inscriptions the rulers are also posthumously adressed "Father XY" (Fu 父), "Older Brother XY" (Xiong 兄), "Second/Third/Fourth Ancestor XY" (Er/San/Sizu 二/三/四祖). See also titles of rulers.
The Shang Dynasty Rulers
Residences: Bo 亳 (Caoxian 曹縣/Shandong), Ao 隞 or 囂 (Yingyang 滎陽/Henan), Xiang 相 (Neihuang 內黃/Henan), Geng [Xing] 邢 or 耿 (Xingtai 邢台/Hebei or Wenxian 溫縣/Henan), Bi 庇 (Yuncheng 鄆城/Shandong), Yan 奄 (Qufu 曲阜/Shandong), Yin 殷 or called Beimeng 北蒙 (Anyang 安陽/Henan), Mo 沬 or Chaoge 朝歌 (Qixian 淇縣/Henan)
  1. First ancestor Xie 契 (son of Gao Xin [Gaoxin] 高辛, grandson of Jiao Ji [Jiaoji] 蟜極, great-grandson of Xuan Ao [Xuanao, Xuan'ao] 玄囂, and great-great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor [Huang Di, Huangdi 黃帝]; dynastic title Shang Jia [Shangjia] 上甲)
  2. son: Zhao Ming (Zhaoming) 昭明
  3. son: Xiang Tu (Xiangtu) 相土
  4. son: Chang Ruo (Changruo) 昌若
  5. son: Cao Yu (Caoyu) 曹圉
  6. son: Ming 冥
  7. son: Zhen 振 or Wang Hai (Wanghai) 王亥
  8. son: Wei 微 or Shang Jia Wei (Shangjia Wei) 上甲微
  9. son: Bao Ding (Baoding) 報丁 (in oracle texts after Bao Bing)
  10. son: Bao Yi (Baoyi) 報乙
  11. son: Bao Bing (Baobing) 報丙
  12. son: Zhu Ren (Zhuren) 主壬 or Shi Ren (Shiren) 示壬
  13. son: Zhu Gui (Zhugui) 主癸 or Shi Gui (Shigui) 示癸
  14. son: Tian Yi (Tianyi) 天乙 or Da Yi (Dayi) 大乙, called Cheng Tang (Chengtang) 成湯
dynastic title {temple name}
O: different title in oracle texts
personal name residence reign length
trad. reign time (probable reign time)
Dayi 大乙 or Tian Yi 天乙
O: Tang 唐, Xian 咸 (?)

His minister was Yi Yin 伊尹.
Tang the Perfect (Cheng Tang) 成湯, Shang Lü 商履 Bo, later Shangyi 29 years
1766-1754
Tai Ding 太丁
O: Da Ding 大丁

Tang's oldest son, died before accession.
Wai Bing 外丙
O: Bu Bing 卜丙

In oracle texts after Da Jia.
Sheng 勝 Bo 2 or 3 years: 1759-1758
Zhong Ren 中壬 (or 仲任)
O: Nan Ren 南壬 (?)
Yong 庸 Bo 4 years: 1757-1754
Tai Jia 太甲 (or Da Jia 大甲) {Taizong 太宗}
He killed the meritorious minister Yi Yin who wanted to make himself ruler.
Zhi 至 Bo 12 years
1753-1721
Wo Ding 沃丁
O: Qiang Ding 羌丁 (?)
Xun 絢 Bo 19 years
1720-1692
Tai Geng 太庚 (or Da Geng 大庚), also called Xiao Geng 小庚; erroneously Tai Kang 太康, Xiao Kang 小康 Bian 辨 Bo 5 years
1691-1667
Xiao Jia 小甲 Gao 高 Bo 17 years
1666-1650
Yong Ji 雍己
O: Lü Ji 呂己 (?)
Dian 佃 or Zhou 伷 Bo 12 years
1649-1638
Tai Wu 太戊 (or Da Wu 大戊) {Zhongzong 中宗}
O: Tian Wu 天戊, Zu Wu 祖戊
Mi 密 Bo 75 years
1637-1563
Lü Ji 呂己 (only in oracle texts; identical with Yong Ji?)
Zhong Ding 中丁 (or 仲丁)
O: Sanzu Ding 三祖丁
Zhuang 莊 Ao 9 years
1562-1550
Wai Ren 外壬
O: Bu Ren 卜壬
Fa 發 Ao 10 years
1549-1535
Hedan Jia 河亶甲
O: Jian Jia 戔甲
Zheng 整 Xiang 9 years
1534-1526
Zu Yi 祖乙 {Zhongzong 中宗, Gaozu 高祖}
O: Xia Yi 下乙, Ru Yi 入乙
Teng 滕 Geng 19 years
1525-1507
Zu Xin 祖辛 Dan 旦 Bi 4 years
1506-1491
Wo Jia 沃甲, Kai Jia 開甲
O: Qiang Jia 羌甲, Long Jia 龍甲
Yu 踰 Bi 5 years
1490-1466
Zu Ding 祖丁
O: Xiao Ding 小丁, Sizu Ding 四祖丁
Xin 新 Bi 9 years
1465-1434
Nan Geng 南庚; erroneously: Nan Kang 南康
O: Zu Geng 祖庚
Geng 更 Bi, later Yan 6 years
1433-1409
Yang Jia 陽甲, He Jia 和甲 or 魺甲
O: Xiang Jia {象/口}甲, Fu Jia 父甲, Zu Jia 祖甲
He 和 Yan 4 years
1408-1402
Pan Geng 盤庚
O: Fu Geng 父庚, Zu Geng 祖庚, Sanzu Geng 三祖庚

Chenged the dynastic name of Shang to Yin.
Xun 旬 Yan, later Yin 28 years
1401-1374
Xiao Xin 小辛
O: Fu Xin 父辛, Erzu Xin 二祖辛
Song 頌 Yin 3 years
1373-1353
Xiao Yi 小乙
O: Fu Yi 父乙, Xiaozu Yi 小祖乙, Houzu Yi 后祖乙
Jian 歛 Yin 10 years
1352-1325
Wu Ding 武丁 {Gaozong 高宗}
O: Fu Ding 父丁, Zu Ding 祖丁, Houzu Ding 后祖丁, Di Ding 帝丁

Wu Ding is the first historical ruler, ca. 1150 BC; his minister was Fu Yue 傅說
Zhao 昭 Yin 59 years
1324-1266 (1238-1180)
Zu Ji 祖己 or Xiao Ji 孝己
O: Fu Ji 父己, Xiong Ji 兄己, Xiao Wang 小王, Zhong Ji 中己

Probably a son of Wu Ding who did not come to the throne
Zu Geng 祖庚 or Zu Kang 祖康
O: Fu Geng 父庚, Xiong Geng 兄庚
Yao 曜 Yin 11 years
1265-1259 (1179-1173)
Zu Jia 祖甲, Di Jia 帝甲
O: Fu Jia 父甲
Dai 載 Yin 33 years
1258-1226 (1172-1140)
Lin Xin 廩辛 or Feng Xin 馮辛
O: Sanzu Xin 三祖辛, Fu Xin 父辛, Xiong Xin 兄辛
Xian 先 Yin 4 years
1225-1220
Geng Ding 庚丁; erroneously: Kang Ding 康丁
O: Fu Ding 父丁, Gengzu Ding 庚祖丁
Ao 囂 Yin 8 years
1219-1199 (1139-1130)
Wu Yi 武乙
O: Fu Yi 父乙, Wuzu Yi 武祖乙

He enfeoffed the ancestor of Zhou 周, Dan Fu 亶父, with the fiefdom of Qi 岐
Di 瞿 Yin, later Hebei, then Mo 35 years
1198-1195 (1129-1095)
Wen Ding 文丁, Tai Ding 太丁 or Da Ding 大丁
O: Fu Ding 父丁, Wenwu Ding 文武丁

He imprisoned the Li Ji 季歷, the Duke of Zhou, who died in prison.
Tuo 托 Yin 13 years
1194-1192 (1094-1084)
Di Yi 帝乙
His oldest son, Prince Qi of Wei 微子啟 did not succeed; Prince Qi was later enfeoffed as Duke of Song 宋 by King Wu of Zhou 周武王.
Xian 羨 Yin 9 years
1191-1155 (1184-1080/1060/1050)
Di Xin 帝辛
King Zhou was the last depraved ruler of Shang, enticed by his consort Da Ji 妲己, daughter of the noble You Su 有蘇; he imprisoned the Viscount of the West 西伯, the father of later King Wu of Zhou.
Zhou 紂 or Shou 受 Yin 52 years
1154-1123 (1060/1050-1027)

Note to aggregation of names in transcription: In posthumous titles of rulers as appearing in traditional historiography, the two words are separated (Di Xin, not Dixin). The first word is often a term of kinship ("Father XY", "Older Brother XY", "Second/Third/Fourth Ancestor XY"), the second one a "number" (jia, yi, bing, ding, etc.).

Sources:
Chen Mengjia 陳夢家 (1955), "Shang-Yin yu Xia-zhou de niandai wenti 商殷與夏周的年代問題", in: Lishi yanjiu 歷史研究 1955, 2, pp. 53-75. [for historical dates (proved in oracle bone inscriptions)]
David N. Keightley (1978). Sources of Shang History: The Oracle-Bone Inscriptions of Bronze Age China, pp. 185-186. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Zhongguo da cidian bianzuan chu 中國大辭典編纂處(ed., 1936). Guoyu cidian 國語辭典, vol. 4. Beiping [Beijing]: Shangwu yinshuguan. [Rev. ed. Chongqing 1947]. [For the traditional reign dates. These can also be found in other Chinese and Western dictionaries of an older date.]

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